I think cryptocurrencies in general, and Bitcoin in particular, are still a bit tainted in the eyes of the general public due to such things as Mt. Gox and Silk Road. I tried to explain my Ethereum investments to my wife, and she replied with "you mean it's like that Bitcoin stuff that people use to buy drugs with?" People naturally mistrust that which they don't understand, and Steemit is complex enough with not one, but 3 different crypto-tokens, that you really need to read and re-read the whitepaper before it all starts to sink in. As a new user I'm still trying to wrap my head around all the implications. So I can understand how some people may ignorantly dismiss it as a Ponzi scheme without bothering to invest time in learning more about it. We the Steem community need to educate and teach people about this great new technology, and try to clear up misconceptions whenever possible.